Hedonic Damages

What Does Hedonic Damages Mean?

Hedonic damages refer to the loss of pleasure and enjoyment in life due to an injury and the recovery process. Plaintiffs may seek monetary compensation for hedonic damages through the courts.

Insuranceopedia Explains Hedonic Damages

In an injury lawsuit, the court can calculate certain types of compensation for the plaintiff, such as hospital bills or lost income, as these are quantifiable and straightforward to assess. Hedonic damages, however, are challenging to quantify, as it is difficult to determine what would be an adequate monetary value for the loss of enjoyment in life. Due to this complexity, some courts choose not to include hedonic damages when awarding compensation.

In car accident lawsuits, an award for hedonic damages comes out of the at-fault driver’s bodily injury liability coverage, which is part of why it’s worth thinking about how much liability insurance you actually need rather than defaulting to the state minimum. When a jury award in a serious case runs higher than a policy’s limits, the driver becomes personally responsible for the rest, which is one reason some people question whether basic liability car insurance is enough.